Philadelphia Phillies: Adams still dealing with back pain

Although the Phillies weren’t exactly searching for some close-game competence in the eighth inning of a 10-4 loss to the Indians — instead they got to watch Raul Valdes stink up the place and allow Cleveland to extend a four-run lead to seven in that frame — the right-hander remained sidelined by back spasms that he said barked louder Tuesday than the original growl that shelved him prior to Sunday’s game in Arizona.

“I feel better than (Tuesday), but not great,” Adams said after Wednesday’s loss. “I had a small (Tuesday) trying to play catch.”

Adams said he’s new to back spasms, and he certainly has a new-found appreciation for how debilitating the problem can be. Although he said there was improvement after a simple attempt to have a catch Tuesday locked up the back, he required a shot of pain medication to see that improvement. If he remains in discomfort, an MRI exam could be on the docket either today or Friday.

If that happens, the Phillies will be looking at well over a week of inactivity for Adams, which should mean a 15-day disabled list stint. That could allow them to hold more auditions in their beleaguered bullpen, where Chad Durbin (7.30 ERA), Jeremy Horst (5.29) and Valdes (7.65) continue to make it difficult to rationalize their existences. Right-hander Mike Stutes, who needed some polishing in Triple-A after undergoing shoulder surgery a year ago, has been rounding into form (0 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 10 K in his last 10 2/3 IP for Lehigh Valley), and left-hander Joe Savery (3-1, 3.00 ERA in 12 games for LV) continues to pitch effectively.

Adams was trying to stay optimistic about avoiding the D.L., but doing so with the grimace of a guy whose back isn’t ready to cooperate.

“I’m going to take it day by day,” Adams said. “Hopefully it’s not a long time and it will be good by the weekend or early next week. But we’ll see how it goes.

“I’ve pitched through a lot of injuries and pains. I couldn’t even get through it.”